The NAFTA Trio
by Eigee
Summary: Neighbors. Who doesn't hate them, right? But unfortunately, as Mexico finds out when Canada and America pay her a visit, you can't live with them nor without them! All she's asking for is to not lose her head while the twins and her catch up and stitch up old misunderstandings. Canadaxfem!Mexico ft. cockblocking from America. Rated T for mild swearing.
1. The Hostess

**A/N: Good grief, it's been so long since I don't write fanfiction! It's my first Hetalia, though, so be nice! This is so badly written but whatever, man. I write what I want. A tidbit about what you're going to read, this is a Canadaxfem!Mexico fic based on the post-NAFTA meeting Canada, America, and Mexico just had like, yesterday, I think. So yeah. Be aware I'm not very good at history and I did try my best to sound eloquent, my apologies to any inconsistency you may find. You may also point it out and rub it in my face so everybody sees how much I suck at history, and how little I care XD I kid, I kid. But no, really. If you find a mistake, do point it out for me, please. I'll be eternally grateful! **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA. Just my suckish, badly written novel -_-**

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The Host

Mexico wasn't looking forward to have America and Canada at her house. Yes, it was kind of an unacknowledged rule that they met every few years, but to be frank she hoped she hadn't have to be the host. Things weren't exactly peachy between the three of them at the moment. It was no surprise this was the case with Alfred, because what else is new? But Matthew was a different thing. Ever since he kindly asked her not to visit him so often a couple years ago, things were never the same.

Matt was not the type of guy that was too assertive. Heck, he was okay with the other countries ignoring him or mistaking him for Alfred. So it was kind of a low blow when he decided to be more definite with her. It made her feel Matthew didn't like her. But unlike when she fought with Alfred, instead of being mad she was desperately sad. She really cared for Mattie, despite they didn't talk often and didn't see much of each other. She always hated how the other countries shunned him off at the meetings and how they pretended he wasn't even there. If they only knew how kind and resourceful he was they would treat him with respect. It got the best of her, frankly. Matthew could be a big bully if he wanted to. He could kick his brother's ass in a heartbeat. But he chose not to, he confessed to her one time. She admired him for that. If it were her, well, she'd probably lead the war against Alfie in revenge for that sick friends with benefits relationship he forced her into.

She sighed.

She never got invited into meetings. Sure, Mattie got ignored all the time, but at least the other countries remember to send him an invitation! And now she was going to be the host. What a weird feeling. It made her stomach upset.

"What's taking them so long?" she asked while pacing around her living room. She inspected every crook and cranny, brushing her finger along and looking for dust. Not a spec, as usual. They could say a lot of things about her, but being a bad host was not one of them. She had the living room repainted and decorated for the twins' arrival. All Mexican furniture and art, of course. Pantries stocked, bedrooms made, amenities bought, activities planned. Everything was ready, she triple-checked yesterday and double-checked this morning.

The clock at the wall struck three o'clock. An hour late. 'Who's irremediably late now, England?' she thought.

"Stupid Alfred," she started mumbling. "Damn gringo probably boycotted the whole thing so I would look bad. And damn Matthew for being such a pushover, he probably went along with it!"

_Ding-dong._

She gasped.

"Yo, wetback!"

"Don't be so rude, Alfred!"

"Chillax dude, I'm totally just kidding!"

"Right. Then next time I call you a diabetic, obese whale damned to die of an untreated heart attack, don't get mad because I'll be joking, too."

"Yeah, yeah, the healthcare joke stopped being funny the first ten thousand times, man. You know what would be nice, though? If Mexico here actually had remembered to pick us up at the airport!"

Right. She forgot about that one detail.

The airport. Picking up the visits. Picking up the visits at the airport.

So much for a good host.


	2. Lunch

**A/N: Review if you liked it! :D Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

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Lunch

Alfred kept on banging at the door and yelling. She heard the couple of brothers bickering among one another, debating on whether or not they got the right address or if she was not home. What kept her from opening the door, though, was sheer spite. A moment of privacy to herself before losing it all for a week. She took in a long breath, closed her eyes, and forced to focus.

Alright Guadalupe, she said to herself. Just as we rehearsed. Open the door, smile, and whatever you do please don't snap at Alfred. Remember you need to ask him to let you into his house again.

"Okay, I got this," she muttered, then opened the door. Alfred almost came down with it from all his insisting knocks.

"What took you so long?" he whined. "I'm tired from holding my bags, and thanks for picking us up, you genius!"

She glared at him, trying her very best to smile. One glance at Mattie's face helped her decide it came off more as creepy than anything else.

"It's good to see you, too. Alfred," she said in a steady, dignified voice. She stood tall and raised her chin while talking, trying to compensate for the massive height difference between her and the brothers. "Please come in."

As usual, Alfred went in first and tossed his bag for Matthew to carry, without really minding to see if he would actually pick up. As if on cue, Matt bent and got the sturdy all-American bag from the floor.

"Oh, let me help you," Lupita hurried to say.

"That's okay, I got it," Matt quickly replied without meeting her eyes. Their hands met halfway, unequivocally bringing their eyes to meet.

"Um..."

Lupita was the first to stand up. "Alright, if you say so. You know the way inside-"

"Tita?"

Guadalupe stopped dead on her tracks, with her back to him. Stupid Matthew and his stupid nicknames, making everything harder than it should be.

"I'm really glad to see you again."

She stood there for one more second. She said, "It's Guadalupe, Matthew. That's my name." And she left.

After they settled in their rooms, Lupita gave them a tour of the house. At first Alfred complained, declaring he already saw everything this little house had to be seen. But he quickly shut up when she showed her the new terraces and gardens. Matthew was also pretty impressed. Lupita's house was larger and more colorful than he remembered. He didn't travel often to Mexico's house, but man, was it a change from his snowy home.

He stretched out as they had lunch at the new terrace, sopes and agua de horchata. He let the sun hit him in the face completely and simply delighted in the warm summer breeze.

"This is so nice," he admitted. "Nothing like the frostbite weather of my house."

"One does like better what he can't have," she said wisely, distinctly eyeing Alfred, who was too busy stuffing his face with sopes. He always made a mess of himself when it came to Mexican food, hence his invention of hard tortilla shells.

Matthew knew how to take the hint. He said nothing more. Lupita was way colder than he remembered her, and he's Canada, for god's sake! He should know about cold. Then there's the fact she's always loved Alfred. He knows, he's not stupid. Everybody talks about it. They're a bundle deal. But he wasn't expecting she would rub it at his face. Then again, could he really blame her?

"I gotta give it to you, Mexico, you do know how to make Mexican food."

Mattie snorted while spontaneously exchanging a complicit smirk with Lupita.

"No shit, Einstein," Lupita said. She took a bite from her sope and then gracefully placed it on her plate with no stains or spills on her fingers whatsoever. "So, cut to the chase, gringo. What's all this fuzz about?"

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, why did you two, pair of gueros come here?"

"To catch up, Mex, what else?"

She glared at him. "Right. And I'm the queen of England."

"Hey-" They both ignored Matt's protest.

"Sheesh, why you gotta be so sour? Alright, fine. I want us to update our club."

Canada and Mexico exchanged weary glances. "You mean that one club that was supposed to make us as powerful as the Europe and Asia club but somehow made you benefit the most? You know, as usual?" she said.

"You're just mad because of that little mishap with you garden, I just wanted to help."

"Help? How about you messed it up beyond repair!"

"Guys, you don't have to-"

"Shut up, Matt!" both said.

"Oh, excuse me. I didn't know you didn't like me getting involved in your business. It's hard to tell when you keep trying to cross into my house to steal all my things! I thought since you love it so much there, I might as well hang out in your own house."

"Guys..."

"You're not fooling me," said Mexico. "I'm not falling for that one again. You know how long it's going to take me to weed out all those weird seeds you forced me to grow? Years, decades! You might convince Matthew because he's your brother and too much of a pushover to say no, but I won't do it."

"You have no other choice!" America taunted with a sing-song voice, preventing Mexico from storming into the house. "No one else buys the stuff you make."

"Guys, maybe if we just talk this out we could-"

"You're a pig, Alfred!" she said with tears in her eyes. "You're horrible!"

"I'm just saying the truth, Mex. I wanna see you get strong. But if you want to do things right you gotta do what I tell you."

"Don't listen to him, Mexico."

"Except that's what I always have done, Alfred! And I'm sick of it."

"Guys!"

"Well, then. If you don't do what I say, I won't let you into my house again."

"You're name's not really America!"

Alfred gasped. "Take that back."

"No."

"You guys, stop!"

"Don't say it."

"United States."

"Of America, dammit! America!"

"That's enough!" Matthew shouted as he slapped the table, leaving a bewildered Alfred and a very surprised Guadalupe. "If you just listened to me for once in your life maybe you'd figure you don't have to rely on Alfred all the time, Guadalupe!"

"Whatever man, just-"

"I wasn't talking to you, Alfred. I'm sick of this! You guys said we could be a club, all of us three. Together. But you're always ignoring me even though I always help you out." Matt said, then caught himself amidst his irritation and calmed down. He sighed. "Look at us. We can't even share lunch without bickering. No wonder Europe doesn't take our club seriously. We're supposed to get along, not start another war," he said sadly.

America and Mexico glanced at each other, a bit worried about Canada getting so demotivated.

"The other clubs fight, too, Matthew," said Lupita.

"Yeah, they do it all the time, bro."

"I don't care about what the others do! Didn't we say we wanted to be better than the Europe club? What happened to that, huh? All we've done is cheat and be asses with each other."

Matt stood up and sighed. "I'll be in my room. Maybe we can talk when you remember how to be decent with each other."

Mexico glared at America. "Thanks for that, Captain Freedom."

"My pleasure!" he said, cheerfully taking a bite from his sope.

She rolled her eyes. "You know, sometimes I wished your house was southernmost."

America furled his eyebrows, his attention split between Lupita and the amazing taste of the food.

"Matt and me would be better off without you."

Lupita finally left him alone to finish his lunch. As he nibbled on the remains of the sope, he looked into the horizon wondering if that's really how Lupita felt. Either way, that was a low hit, even for him.


	3. Telephone Game

**A/N: Warning, fluff ahead! Enjoy and review! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia**

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Telephone Game

Canada was in no mood to rejoin his neighbors after their little argument at lunch. If they're going to ignore them, then he's going to ignore them back.

"You just wait, Kumajeju," he said while pacing around the room, angrily dribbling a basketball he decided to bring from home in case he felt bored. The floor of his room was wooden made and he knew Mexico wouldn't be very happy about the marks, but he couldn't care less right now. "They're going to be sorry when they realize how much we need each other."

Kumajiro simply remitted to watch as his owner grumbled to and fro. "Who are you again?"

Canada glared at him. "You're not helping."

"I mean it."

He sighed. "Canada. Freakin' Canada, that's who I am."

Kumajiro rolled around the soft bed while Matthew kept on complaining about the filtering sounds of Mexico and America bickering yet again.

"Then why don't you tell them?" asked Kuma.

"What?"

"To stop."

He rolled his violet eyes. "Like I haven't done that before. They simply won't listen to me. Who am I kidding, Kuma? We all know the real reason why we're here is so Mexico can beg America to let her into his house. They just invited me because it's supposed to be a North America thing."

"But you did shut her out, too. Remember?"

Matthew kept quiet for a second. "Yeah, but... I wasn't trying to be mean or anything. I was just-" He stopped on his tracks and sighed, biting back the remorse. "I was just following Alfred's advice."

He dropped the ball and let it bounce away from him, then he bumped his forehead against the door. "I really didn't mean to hurt her, Kumari. I've missed her."

"Ugh, don't you do anything else than watch television all day long?" Mexico complained as she came into the living room and found Alf sprawled on the couch, lazily flipping the channels without really watching anything.

"Your cable service sucks, you know? These are all reruns."

Lupita felt heat flood her cheeks, embarrassed. "Well, maybe you should head out for some exercise for a change, you lazy-ass gringo. I'll go check on Matthew, he hasn't come down from his room."

"Oh, right. Matt came along."

Lupita glared at Alfred. "Do you_ really_ forget about your own brother?" she asked, scandalized.

Alfred shrugged and turned back to the TV. "He doesn't really care."

She criticized him in silence and left.

"Do you think she'll ever forgive me?" Matthew asked Kumajiro, while he imagined shapes out of the uneven patterns in the ceiling's wood.

"You could invite her to the house..."

There was an impatient knock on the door. Matthew sighed and put the pillow on his face. "Go away, Alfred. I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

"It's not Alfred," said Lupita from behind the door, causing Matt to sit up so fast his vision was clouded with black spots. "Can I come in?"

"Su-sure." He hurried to put Kuma off from his lap and straighten his clothes. He greeted her with a friendly smile and an extraordinary effort to look casual.

"Hey," he said in his usual quiet voice. But then she closed the door behind her and all his calm went to hell. 'Dammit,' he thought to himself. 'She does it on purpose!'

She sighed and sat next to him on the bed, but not without petting Kuma first. "Hey, I missed this little guy."

"Tita!" Kuma exclaimed delighted, and hugged her leg. "I missed you, too!" Matthew squinted at him, annoyed because he knew Kuma acted sweet and loving around Lupita just so she would forget about Canada himself. 'Traitor,' he thought.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked after being unable to bear the uncomfortable silence anymore.

She turned to him and held his gaze for a second. When all Matt did was to turn away embarrassed, she looked down and shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "I shouldn't have stormed away like that."

She shrugged, still silent, but boiling with so many things she wanted to say. Finally she gave up and clicked her teeth. "Five years, Matt. In five years you didn't even call me."

"Well, you didn't either."

"I didn't lock you out of my house."

Silence again. Thick as the snow that buries Matt's house in winter.

"You've always liked Alfred better, anyway," said Matt, attempting to excuse himself.

"You know that's not true."

Matt's heart pumped faster but he didn't dare to face Lupita.

"Matthew, we were supposed to be friends, for god's sake! And you just... I thought I could trust you."

"You _can_ trust me."

"Then why did you let Alfred- you know what, never mind. It's my own population. It's my problem. I was stupid to think we could be allies."

Allies. Allies date each other. But he never heard anything about population, he only had Alfred complaining about Lupita's Mexicans kept stealing things from his Americans and that if he didn't want that to happen to his Canadians, he better not let her into his house anymore. Now, back then he was worried as ever about getting noticed more often and with Korea and Japan meddling with his own traditions, he couldn't let someone else do that, too. Not even if it was Lupita he was talking about. But still, something smelled fishy.

"What about your population?"

She glared at him, irritated. "Don't act like you don't know."

He rolled his eyes.

"Alfred didn't tell you, did he?" she finally concluded. When silence proved her suspicion right, anger flared her to stand up. "That bastard! He never told you!"

"Told me what?"

"Why everyone was fleeing up to your house."

He furled his eyebrows. "He warned me that your population was... well, a bit overwhelming when it came to culture, and he said that you would do better if we both were a little more strict with the visiting and such."

She scoffed and groaned. "Stupid Alfred!"

"What?"

"He lied to you! He started hunting my Mexicans and the ones who lived closer to your house went there to take refuge. And then you didn't let them in. It was too much of a coincidence, I knew you two had an agreement."

"I didn't know that." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm sorry."

"That's still not an excuse for you to have stopped talking to me like that."

"Well, Alf told me you didn't have time to talk to me."

She crossed her arms. "And of course, you went ahead and believed that cabron without even questioning."

"What did you expect me to do, eh? You barely talked to me back then."

"But that's just because Alfred's always on the way, Matt! His house is_ literally_ between the two of us. And he's always a pain in the ass about me crossing, even when I mean to visit you."

They fell into silence again, enhancing the otherwise quiet sounds of their clothes when they shifted, their even breathing, the wind outside.

"I'm really sorry, Lupita."

She looked away.

"I am," he insisted. "I wish there was a way I could make it up to you." He looked down to Kumajiro, who inconspicuously nodded at Lupita. Matthew knew what Kuma meant. He sighed, and overcoming panic, he said quietly, "And if this means anything to you, I really missed you."

He got ready to leave, even though this was actually the room she had assigned for him. But before he did, she put her hand on his. Her hands were always warm, that's one of the things he liked about Lupita. Actually, there were many things he liked about her, but he never seemed to find the right moment -or the right amount of courage- to tell her.

Even though they ceased to talk and Matt stayed, she didn't let go of his hand. After awhile, he chuckled.

"What?" she asked.

"Remember that time you went over to my house and I tried to show you how to ski?"

She snorted. "Oh yeah. I hated it. The ice skating was actually nice, though."

"I would really love to do it again," he said. "Maybe you could go to my house sometime... Actually, anytime you want."

She let go of his hand and looked at him square on the face, dead serious. He smiled sheepishly at her and though she knew he wasn't lying, she kept her expression clear. "Are you serious?"

He nodded, causing for his messy hair to bob. "Very serious."

She smiled.

"And um... may-maybe we could talk about that- that ally thing again, eh?"

She flitted her eyes away from him, unable to wipe the smile off her face. "Si, maybe."

It really didn't matter how hard she tried to deny it, Lupita was unmistakably attracted to Matthew, but she could never tell him. Even despite the fact he brought up the ally idea. She bit her lip, trying to calm herself down and suppress the impulse to kiss him. It seemed like Matthew had a similar idea though, as he leaned in slowly, mimicking her movements.

She could sense Matt's warm breath as the inches grew dimmer between them, as well as the faint scent of maple. She loved that smell and wanted it to be closer, as close as it could possibly be. She took his face gently just before their lips touched. And just before Alfred came into the room, without knocking. Mexico almost died from a heart attack. Canada fell to the floor from the scare, unable to form a word.

"Dudes, I'm totally starving! What's for dinner, Mex?"

"Your head," she grumbled as she helped Matthew up, thankful for America's unshakable ability to be oblivious to anything that doesn't revolve around him.


	4. Tequila

**A/N: This is hands down my favorite chapter so far. A bit longer than the others so, yep. Also! Tequila's in the house. As a Mexican who has issues holding her tequila down, I feel Alfred's pain in this chapter. Warning for a little more swearing than usual and more mature stuff. Though no biggie. No lemons... yet. :P Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:I do not own Hetalia.**

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Tequila

"Oh, I almost forgot Mex," said a cheery Alfred as he joined Matt and Lupita at the table for dinner. He produced a small box from the pocket of his jacket and popped the lid open. He handed it to Mexico and stood behind her as she appreciated the small rose-shaped diamond. "For you, do you like it?"

The worst part was he was actually being nice. In the centuries she's known Alfie and Mattie, she's been able to discern when the first is being kind and the second has gotten pissed and though it didn't happen often, this was one of those times where both happened simultaneously. She didn't know what to say. All she knew was that Matthew looked like he was ready to punch his brother in the face.

"You didn't have to, gringo," she said, trying to take his gesture lightly.

He laughed. "Of course I do! We might get on each other's nerves all the time but we're still friends, right?" He pulled the necklace from the box and tied it around her neck. Mexico kept glancing at Canada while Alfred worked the chain. He had this intimidating frown on his face. She gulped.

"Heh, right. Um... I'm going to go check the stove, I think I left it on. Be right back." Before either of them could offer to help with anything, which was what she feared, she sprinted into the kitchen and shut the door behind her, immediately letting go of a heavy sigh.

"Ay dios mio, este gringo va a hacer que el otro guero se lo chingue," she muttered to herself. And though Matt is a very peaceful guy, given the circumstances, she wouldn't doubt he'd be past violence. After all, he does have a reputation in hockey. She hurried back to the dining room with a tray of tamales. The second she stepped in, she knew there had been an exchange of sorts between Canada and America. The air was tense and they stood up at the same time to help her, glaring at each other annoyed.

"You need any help with that, Lupita?" Matthew asked kindly.

"That's fine Canada, I got it."

She put the tray on the table and let each one help themselves until they emptied it out.

"The necklace looks really good on you, Mex. I'm glad I brought it for you."

Matthew rolled his eyes and muttered to himself.

"What's that?" America asked, instead of answering, Canada muttered again.

Mexico pretended she wasn't listening by picking imaginary specks of dust from her table carpet.

"If you wanna say something, man up and say it to my face."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you're mad I got something for Mexico and you didn't, why don't you just admit it?"

"I'm not mad." Yes, he was but not just about the necklace. "If that's how you earn your friends then fine, go ahead and buy her the entire Congo for all that I care."

Alfred chuckled, pleased with himself. "You just got bad manners, showing up with nothing for the host."

"Bad manners? Seen a mirror lately?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"That's enough, you two," Mexico said with the ever characteristic tranquil yet menacing tone of the women of her country. They already knew nothing good waited for them when they went against that tone. After years and years of scoldings of epical proportions, they learned to drop an argument. "Alf, I appreciate your gift, but you shouldn't have. We all agreed we'd have the meeting at my house, it's not like I was inviting you to a party or anything."

For a change, Alfred seemed to understand but her reaction took him aback. He didn't say anything, and she knew Alfie only kept quiet when he felt hurt. Contrary to what the other countries thought, it happened a lot when Matt and him argued. And yes, maybe he's an asshole ninety nine percent of the time, but she can't help having a soft spot for him. They weren't siblings but they grew up together. They know each other since infancy, it's hard not to consider him part of her family. So for his benefit, she added, "But it was really nice, Alfie. Thanks."

He chuckled and nodded. Matthew got the hang of his silence, so he didn't say anything else but Lupita could read the annoyance on his face. She seldom ever calls Alfred "Alfie."

"You know," she said after a lengthy silence. "All in all, I'm glad we got together again. I missed my couple of blondies."

They both smiled.

"I actually wanted to show you something. I found it the other day I was cleaning the attic."

She left the room for a moment and came back with a dusty wooden box, chipped at the edges. Matt and Alf's eyes lit up in surprise.

"Mex, no way you kept this thing!"

"But we buried it," said Matthew. "How did you even find it?"

Guadalupe smiled. "My dog, Pepito, was digging in the garden the other day and he found it."

"I can hardly believe it." Matt brushed off the dust and felt the dents on the wood made by the years and debris that eventually buried this relic. "Our time capsule."

Alfred gently pulled up the lid and got prepared for past memories to come bite him in the ass. Sure enough, the first thing that greeted them was an old sepia photograph of the three of them as kids. Matthew, shy as usual, held Kuma in his arms. Alfred in the middle, as always, proudly grinned at the camera with two missing baby teeth. Then Lupita, with her bright dresses and bullet carriers, smiled showing her dimples. France took that picture of them, she can remember. It was back when they liked to play indians and cowboys. They had boots and a leather band wrapped around their heads with a long eagle feather.

"This thing is ancient!" Alfred exclaimed. "It's so embarrassing, oh my god."

Matt smirked. "Your teeth, eh?"

"We were so young," Lupita said wistfully.

"Yeah..." Alfred put away the photo and rummaged through the box. He pulled out toys and souvenirs. A bullet, a strand of hair, an arrow head, wooden boats and trains, dolls dressed as mounties and soldiers and escaramuza warriors, a dried maple leaf, woven bracelets. It's their childhood staring back at them.

"Aw, Mattie," Lupita said, producing a yellowed paper sheet. She smiled and then showed it to the brothers. It was a drawing of the three of them. Matt was in the middle, holding hands with Lupita and Alfred. At the top of the page he wrote, "I love my friends."

Alfred messed his hair in a goodnatured way. "You're so cheesy."

Lupita slapped his forearm. "Shut your mouth, it's sweet."

Matt pulled out another picture, their faces were caked with dirt but their grins unmistakable as they dug with little toy shovels. "Arthur took this one, I remember."

"When he said we had gold and convinced us to look for it," America noted. He chuckled and moved his head from side to side.

Lupita grabbed a sheet of paper that was folded at the bottom of the box, it was her favorite memory. "Oh, you guys might want to read this."

She unfolded it for them and spread it out on the table. It was a letter written with childish pulse.

_Declaration_

_Mexico (because Mattie said ladies first), Canada, and me! (America)_

_We declare that we will be best friends forever even though if our daddies don't like each other because we like each other and we can be friends. So we are going to be best friends forever even if we get old and die we will still be best friends and we will never hit each other because England said that's not nice. And Lupita and me won't let the other kids bully Mattie because he doesn't like when people fight and he cries and Lupita doesn't like when Mattie cries and I don't like it too. And to prove we're going to be best friends forever we are going to bury this box with our favorite toys because Mexico's daddy said that god likes when people do nice things for other people and giving up our toys is a nice thing to do even though we really like them._

_Signed by_

_Mexico, Canada, and America_

_Lupita, Mattie, and Alfie_

"I forgot when you weren't a complete hoser," said Canada, though insulting, well-meaning.

"We were a club even before it was cool," said Alfred.

"That's probably because of hipster king Matthew Williams here," Lupita teased.

"I'm not a hipster. Besides Alf invented those..."

"Hey, look at this picture," said Alfred. The awkward teenage years, it was their reaction to a shot of tequila. Lupita- and Matthew to some extent- was unfazed, but not Alfred.

"That's actually from a photo album I found in the attic."

"God, that thing tasted horrible," said Alfred.

"Alfred, even water tastes bad to you," said Matt. "You still have any of that tequila?"

Lupita laughed and smirked smugly. "You come into my house, Canada, and dare to ask such a question?"

She stood up and opened up a wooden pantry, revealing a generous stock of tequila bottles, waiting to be drained.

Matt gawked his mouth open and Lupita laughed at him. She knew he was too shy to ask to open a bottle so she went ahead and grabbed the finest brewed and pulled three caballitos from a drawer.

She set each and when met Alf's puzzled stare, she said, "Don't worry gringo, I have that sparkling water you call American beer if you're too much of a pussy to drink like a Mexican."

Matt laughed and let Lupita pour him a first shot. "Alfred always has a bad time whe we go out drinking."

"I do not!" he complained. "I'm America, I can do anything! Pour me a double of that thing, I'll show you two."

Mexico complied but only because she couldn't wait to see Alfred drunk. He was the total opposite of himself with alcohol in his bloodstream, he always cried and apologized to Matthew for everything he did. Matt was the opposite though, but unlike his brother, he was good at holding his spirits.

"Okay, I'll be right back," said Lupita and went to the kitchen to grab salt, lemon, and chili powder. When she came back the siblings already had their caballitos emptied. She grimaced. "You drank it clear?"

"Isn't that the way you're suppposed to do it?" said Matt.

"No, no. You can drink it however se te pegue la gana but it tastes better with lemon, salt, and chile." She sighed and poured them some more. "I guess you want it the hard way." She chuckled. "All right, here's how you properly drink a tequila shot. Do what I do."

Lupita licked a small spot of the back of her hand and put salt and chili powder on it. Then, bracing herself, she bit on a slice of lemon and sucked the juice, and swiftly licked the salt on her hand. Once done that, she tilted the caballito up and drank the tequila in one gulp.

"A la madre," she exclaimed, invigorated by the warm sensation of the liquid. "Pinche tequila bueno."

"So do we have to swear in Spanish when we're done, too, or..."

"Very funny, Matthew. Come on, it's your turn," she said while pouring more for herself.

Their faces were priceless, contorted with the bittersweet lemon and the spice of the chili and tue tequila setting fire on their throats. Alfred coughed uncontrollably and Matthew cheered. "This would be nice for the winter, eh brother?"

He said as he was wheezing, "Speak for yourself."

"Another?" she asked. Alfred had no remedy than to nod when Matthew eagerly put his caballito in front of the bottle.

"You know Alfie, if you can't keep up just tell us. Better back down than suffer a hangover, tequila can be ruthless."

"Never."

She laughed. "If you say so."

"Let's cheers this time," said Matt and he lifted his caballito to clink it with the others. "For North America."

"For North America," the other two repeated.

"Wait, don't drink it yet!" Lupita urged. "We have to clink it separately with each other and looking at our eyes, too, or else you get ten years of bad sex."

Alfred snorted. "You and your silly superstitions, Mex."

"One, it's called culture, gringo. But of course, you don't know what that is. And two, ask yourself, are you willing to risk it?" she said as she cheered with Matthew, following the rules.

All in all, America had only ever been interested in Mexico, so he didn't think of sex with others that often. Screw the friendzone, after Alamo happened he would never get out of the gringo zone.

"Heck, guess you're right." So he cheered, too.

A bottle of tequila later, the three of them were holding each other and screaming at the top of their lungs what Lupita called the Mexican drunk songs. Matt and Alf didn't understand squat, but they were too out of it to care.

"Con dinero o sin dinero, hago siempre lo que quiero. Y mi palabra es la leeeey. No tengo trono ni reina, ni nadie que me comprenda, PERO SIGO SIENDO EL REY!"

Matthew tripped and then they laughed because they were unable to help him up without falling themselves. As a result they continued drinking on the floor with the lemon and he salt thrown to hell and them passing the bottle whenever they felt like having a chug.

"Alfred, for fuck's sake, stop leaning on me!" said Matthew.

"I'm sorry," whined Alfred. "I just... I love you brother. And I love you Mexico. I just really love everyone." He kept quiet for a second, then said. "Yo hablo españolo." And caused for Mexico and Canada to roll with laughter.

"Pinche gringo loco."

"Tu es très stupide, America..."

"It's true! Yo hablo muy bueno. I want tequila. Matthew don't drink my tequila, you motherfucker."

He snatched the bottle from Matthew and then stood up. "I WANNA DANCE."

"Your brother's crazy, Mattie," Mexico said, induced by the extrovert effects of alcohol to snake her arms around him.

"I know, " he said, tipsy like Mexico, but entirely aware of his surroundings.

"You two are always huggin'!" Alfred said, breaking them apart and sitting in the middle. "You never hug me. I love you too, why don't you hug me. Hug me too, Lupita. "

"Te cuelas como la humedad, cabron."

"Your English is very bad."

"That's because it's Spanish."

"I love youuuuu. Can we sign again? LET'S MAKE AN ANTHEM FOR NORTH AMERICA. YOU KNOW WHAT GUYS, WE SHOULD BE ONE COUNTRY."

"Alf, I think it's time for you to go to bed," said Matthew.

Alfred was about to complain but he suddenly closed his mouth and made a funny face. Lupita had seen that face too many faces to not know instinctively what to do. She reached for a trashcan, put it under Alfred's face and pushed Matthew aside just in time for him to puke. The smell and the sight were enough to cut off the alcoholic bliss from Matt and Lupita.

Alfred puked his entire dinner, and once he was done, he fell asleep.

"Gross," said Matt. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Lupita said, all too used to this ritual. "Did he get any of it on his clothes?"

Matthew wrinkled his nose in disgust but he checked nonetheless. "No, he's fine."

"Good. Help me carry him up to his room, si Mattie?"

He nodded and with no problem carried his brother to the second floor.

"That tequila didn't even make you dizzy, did it?" Lupita said as she trailed behind Matt, a bit disappointed, if she had to admit it.

"Eh, I'm sure if I kept drinking I'd end like this hoser."

Lupita took off Alfred's shoes and glasses and tucked him into bed before they went back to the dining room. For good measure, she also put a trashcan on either side of the bed, if the sickness came back to him in the middle of the night.

Matt chuckled when he saw the time. "Oh Alfred, and it's just nine."

"Yeah, he can't hold much of it, can he?"

Matthew moved his head from side to side and sat back on the table to keep browsing through their childhood memories.

"You want to open another bottle?" Lupita said.

Matt shrugged. "I'm okay. But if you want to, sure."

She nodded and prepared a lighter drink, tequila watered down with sparkling water lemonade.

"It's called paloma," said Lupita, while placing the sweaty glass in front of him. "Good to get rid of the heat."

"Thanks." He chugged from it and delighted. The cold, citric taste bonded well with the soft but lingering sensation of the tequila burning his throat.

"I can't believe you kept this box," he said. "It's been so long."

"Well, we grew up together, I wasn't just going to toss it away."

"Right." Matt let silence build up.

"Is there something wrong, Matt?"

"Eh? No, no. I'm fine. Just a bit dazed from the liquor, that's all."

Lupita smiled, showing her dimples. "What are you looking for?"

"What?" He lifted up his violet eyes from the box. "No-nothing."

She smiled again and without saying anything, went upstairs for a second. She came back with a leather-cover book and she placed it in front of Matthew. It had a maple leaf carved on the cover.

Matthew blushed and looked down. He knew what that book was.

"It's not mine to keep," she said. "Though I have to admit I did read a few pages."

Matt took it and ran his fingers along the leaf. "How much did you read?"

"Just something about America."

He chuckled, glad his secret was still safe. "You're always hunting dirt on him, eh?"

She shrugged and pet the tip of her braid. "That's where it happened to be open when I found it in the attic."

Actually, she lied about the diary. She read more than a few pages. In fact she had read it all. But it felt wrong to admit it to Matt. Their friendship had never needed lengthy explanations and they were good at picking each other's vibes. She was sure he knew, if he didn't want to acknowledge it, she was fine with it.

"Mattie, why did you get mad at the beginning of dinner?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and for once he hoped to be invisible. "I wasn't mad," he lied lamely.

"I know you too well, Matthew Williams."

Without looking at her he muttered, "Well... he always gives you things when he wants to make things up to you. And I confronted him about why he lied to me about you a few years ago. He didn't like it. He said he wanted to be your ally again and that he didn't want me in the way."

Lupita limited herself to widen her eyes.

"I got mad because he's always so flamboyant and- well, I know I'm going to be invisible to you again when this meeting ends because he wants you to be your ally and there's no way he's going to let me compete."

After a short silence, she reached for his hand and quietly said, "But I want to be your ally, not his."

"You're just saying that so I don't feel bad."

"No, Mattie. Look at me." She lifted his chin and held his eyes. "I'll always love Alfred because like it or not, our history is bound together. You can't understand his past without knowing about mine. But it's not the same with you. You've always been there for Alfred the way I've been there for him, but somehow, we let him get in the way as we grew up and that blindsided us. Look where we're standing now. You're always ignored by the group of eight and I don't think I'll see the day when I get invited to join.

"There's always been a part of me that wondered what would happen if we stopped catering to him and catered to each other. I think we deserve a chance to find out."

"You mean like, abandoning Alfred?"

"No, no. Of course not. Just... you know, being together, you and me. Just you and me. We've always been very good friends, after all. We grew up together, too. I mean, not as closely as Alfred with either of us, but enough to share some things. I think we would make great allies."

Matthew blushed. "Allies as in World War allies or as in... as in..."

Mexico giggled and leaned in to peck him on the lips. They were surprisingly warm, though a bit chipped from the cold winter weather in his home. She liked how they felt. "As in this."

Matthew's heart raced and his head shoot up to the clouds, but that small peck hardly was enough to satisfy him. So he grabbed her face with care and kissed her the proper way, the Canadian way. Steadfast and sure, but not overbearing. Sweet and sheepish, but not weak.

Mexico had to admit she wanted more when they parted for air.

"More as in this, eh?"

They kept kissing but the table was an obstacle. It reminded Lupita too much of Alfred for her taste, so she resolved it boldly, as she usually did, by sitting on Matthew's lap the way she rode her racing horse. As they kissed, Lupita discovered anyone who thought Matthew was passive or mild clearly had never kissed him. She was glad there was this side to him, not that she didn't like the shy one, but still. She was never one to take orders from anyone or to hang out with pussies, it's nice to know Matthew wasn't either of those things.

She could feel his heart excitedly bumping against her own chest, his cheeks were flushed and there was a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He looked very flustered, and so was she. And though her better judgement screamed at her to be careful, she couldn't bring herself to follow it. After all, she had been attracted to Matt for a very long time and they rarely ever saw each other. In a way, she had been waiting for this a long time.

When panting and gasping started getting involved, she decided using her better judgement was probably in everyone's best interests.

"We could go to my room," she suggested, but Matt was too busy kissing her neck. His soft hair tickled but it felt nice. "Mattie," she said, a little more flustered.

"Hmm?"

"The room. Let's go to the room."

He nodded and carried her up to the last room in the hall, as far away from Alfred as they could. Sure, he was dead drunk, but he wanted to be loud for once.

* * *

**a/n: If you liked it, please leave a review! :D**


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